When Paranoia Arrives
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: Paranoia reaches the boys, and makes Wufei make a bad choice that costs a life.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
Author's note: Don't ask. I'm not completely sure what made me do this one. Besides, I wrote it while I was having a bad day.  
  
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A young man stood up on top of a hill, looking down towards the ground. He appeared to be 16 or 17 years old. He was wearing a blue tank top and white pants with a dark belt around his waist. His shoulder length black hair was tied up in a ponytail as it usually was, but a few lose strands hung in his face. His dark eyes looked sadly upon the stone standing in the ground, marking where a dear friend of his now slept.  
  
"It's been almost a year now," he spoke. "We all miss you. I guess we- and you too- never realized how much you meant to all of us until you were gone." He deeply inhaled through his mouth as the rare hotness stinging behind his eyes. "And if it weren't for me, we could tell you ourselves." He remained standing as he tightly shut his eyes, the horrific memory playing in his head for- what seemed like- the hundredth time.  
  
~FLASHBACK~  
  
They were all on the edge, even Quatre. The sound of a book falling from the shelf would result in four guns and one katana aimed at the fallen object in almost less than one second. The tension was high; the many hours of no sleep and sitting in bed clutching the nearest weapon suggested insanity. It had been a rough month; all the pilots had bags under their eyes and twitching from paranoia was a common occurrence. Whenever sleep occurred to them, three of the pilots, mainly Quatre, Duo, and Trowa, began to sleepwalk.  
  
Despite all this, their days were filled with nerve-wracking missions that often included five near-death experiences for each of the pilots. When they finally got back to the safehouse, they had around an hour for sleep and eat before another mission was called.  
  
One particular night, the weary pilots had returned to the safehouse for an hour of rest. Duo, who was too tired to undo his braid, shuffled towards the bedroom he shared with Heero. Passing by Wufei in the living room, he offered a small smile; a mere shell of his trademark grin.  
  
"Night Wu-man, see you in an hour."  
  
Wufei, who was too tired to respond, just replied with a Heero-style "Hn." His hair had fallen out of its regular ponytail, and he made no effort to put it back.  
  
He also passed by Trowa, who was carrying a sleeping Quatre in his arms. Quatre- who had fallen asleep the second he sat down on the couch- had also made no effort to straighten his hair before he drifted off. Trowa, slow and limping, carried Quatre to the bedroom they shared so he too could get at least a half-hour worth of sleep.  
  
Wufei continued to make his way towards his room. He opened the door, walked in, shut it, and then flung himself onto the bed, making sure that his katana was within reach.  
  
~  
  
Wufei woke up with a start, sitting up suddenly in his bed. He attempted to slow his breathing as he looked at his clock. He had been only sleeping for a half-hour. Wufei shook his head, trying to rid the nightmare of OZ soldiers and Mobile Suits out of his head. Nightmares came with the paranoia, making it dangerous for him to see anyone right after he woke up; if he couldn't see them clearly, his mind would identify them as an enemy and order him to attack.  
  
And that was the first thing he thought when he heard the shuffling of feet in his room.  
  
Paranoia kicked in, making Wufei grab his katana and unsheathing it. He immediately leapt up onto his feet. It was too dark in his room to see anything, but in his mind's eye, he saw an OZ soldier pointing a gun at him in the darkness. With a ZERO-estique gleam in his eye, he swung where his mind told him the enemy's stomach was.  
  
Wufei felt almost no resistance as his blade made a clean cut. His mind registered nothing as he heard a familiar gasp, sharp with pain and surprise.  
  
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Author's note: So, who do you guys think it was? Was it really an OZ soldier? Take a guess in your reviews, and then I'll write the last chapter. Until then- *twiddles thumbs while whistling the Gundam Wing theme song* 


End file.
